'Very hard to say who will win': Ukrainian Grandmaster on D Gukesh vs Javokhir Sindarov match

Ukrainian Grandmaster Anna Muzychuk has refused to pick a winner for the upcoming World Chess Championships, stating that there's still a long way to go for the matches and picking a favourite at this moment is not wise. The 36-year-old Muzychuk is one of the finest chess players to emerge from Ukraine and has a runner-up finish in the 2017 Women's World Chess Championship to show as her achievement, among other titles.

Both the Open World Chess Championship and the women's title match would involve an Indian Grandmaster. While defending world champion D Gukesh will take on Javokhir Sindarov in the World Chess Championship, India's R Vaishali will be the challenger against Ju Wenjun in the Women's World Chess Championship.

Anna Muzychuk on World Chess Championships

Asked to predict a winner for both matches, former Women's World Blitz and Rapid champion Anna Muzychuk said she wouldn't want to indulge in it as there's still a long way to go for the games.

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“It will be a very interesting clash. I’m looking forward to watching both of them (Open and Women’s title showdowns) because the World Championship matches always stand out,” she said.

“They (world championships) are always special and they bring a lot of excitement, especially for the spectators. It’s very hard to say who will win or who is the favourite because there is still a lot of time," Muzychuk added.

Muzychuk said that as matches will be held at the end of 2026, which allows all the participants to prepare better, and hence it's difficult to pick a winner.

“I think players still have about half a year (to prepare). We don’t have the dates (for the Worlds) at the moment, but more or less the matches will happen at the end of the year.

“So many things can change during this period of time and the matches…it’s a very special thing in terms of everything, in terms of chess preparation, in terms of psychological preparation, in terms of how you feel,” she added."